June 25, 2019: What’s happening at tonight’s Assembly meeting?

A final resolution to fire city administrator Keith Brady is on the agenda when the Sitka Assembly meets tonight (6/25/19). At a meeting earlier this month, the assembly voted 4-3 in favor of removing Brady from his position. Brady had the opportunity to request a public hearing, but told KCAW at that meeting that he would likely not appeal the assembly’s decision.

After the assembly votes on resolution to remove Brady, it will discuss who to appoint as an interim administrator. At the last meeting, the body appointed Fire Chief Dave Miller as acting administrator. It will also vote on a measure that would make municipal attorney Brian Hanson the point of contact and signator for all matters involving the sale of Sitka Community Hospital to SEARHC.

The assembly will consider several other ordinances related to the sale of Sitka Community Hospital- including the budget for the hospital to continue operating through the end of July.

Originally, the hospital sale was to be finalized on June 30 with most of the services Sitka Community provides moving to SEARHC along with employees on July 1. But as the city and SEARHC were still sorting outstanding liabilities they missed a key regulatory deadline — pushing the transition back to the end of July. The assembly will also consider paying more than $400,000 to the consulting and legal team that assisted the city with the sale negotiations.

In other business, it will consider shifting the seasonal electric rate hike by one month. Currently electric rates rise from 12 to 19 cents a kilowatt-hour in March, and then go down again in October. If passed on second reading, the rates would go down in November and back up in April. And it will consider a license renewal for Northern Lights, a marijuana cultivation business on Sawmill Creek Road.

The assembly will go into executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss several legal matters- one lawsuit involving the city and a taxi company, the city’s power theft claim against a utility customer, and the purchase agreement for Sitka Community Hospital. They will also discuss a financial matter involving Baranof Island Brewing Company in executive session.